The Saskatchewan Roughriders have played eight games this season and lost every single one. They’re still dangerous for the Ottawa Redblacks, though.

The Redblacks have won as many games as they’ve lost, which puts them four victories and eight points ahead of the Roughriders in the overall Canadian Football League standings, but they head into Sunday’s matchup at TD Place stadium weighed down by two consecutive defeats attributable to special-teams disasters at Calgary and a severe lack of discipline (20 penalties) at Toronto.

Knowing that, former Roughriders with Ottawa were making sure on Thursday to compliment their ex-teammates’ work ethic and past successes.

“They’re dangerous because they’re a good football team,” said defensive tackle Keith Shologan, who two seasons ago was on the Roughriders squad that beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Grey Cup Game at Regina, then became a Redblack in the expansion draft and soldiered through their 2-16 inaugural campaign.

“They’re playing a lot like they did last year,” Shologan added. “They’re doing real well. They should be winning games, but they’re just finding ways to lose them at the end.”

Yes, that sounds like the 2014 Redblacks. The 2015 Roughriders have encountered a surplus of bad luck landing 15 players on the six-game injured list currently, including quarterbacks Darian Durant and Kevin Glenn, and an astonishing ability to hurt themselves with penalties: a league-worst 114, including 52 against the offence.

Even with their 20 infractions for 228 yards against the Toronto Argonauts, the Redblacks rank sixth among the nine CFL teams with 96 penalties, and just 30 against the offence.

On the other hand, the Roughriders have been much closer to winning any one of a half-dozen games — four points or less — than the Redblacks have been in losing by 29, 11, 45 and six.

“One week at a time,” Shologan said. “It doesn’t matter what they did before. It’s a must-win every week. We can’t look at it like that. We can’t let one game ruin our season or anything like that because, after this one, there’s still nine more to go.”

Former Rider Keith Shologan (right), leads his mates in a jog during<br /> practice at TD Place stadium Thursday.

They all have an appreciation for the atmosphere in Saskatchewan when things go well for the Roughriders and, like now, when they don’t.

“They have been in close games all year,” said Pierzchalski, who was signed by the Redblacks shortly after the Roughriders released him at the end of training camp in June. “It’s really quite shocking what their record is because they are a really good team.

“I know the players out there. They’re great players, they work hard. I know that they’re out there in Saskatchewan right now as we speak working really hard to come in here and get their first win, but we are preparing the same way. We are preparing as if they’re an 8-0 team.”

Sunday’s game will be the second Milo has played at TD Place stadium since signing with the Redblacks in early August. He said the atmosphere for the first one, a 26-23 victory against the Montreal Alouettes, was “electric” and he expected more of the same for a contest that has been sold out for two weeks.

According to Milo, there’s no fear of becoming the first team to lose to the Roughriders in 2015, but rather an imperative for the Redblacks to rebound so they can head into a bye week in the CFL schedule with a winning record.

“We are not really worried about what their situation is,” said Milo, a fifth-year CFLer who kicked for the Roughriders in their season opener before being released in July. “We have to worry about ourselves and what we have to do as a football team to be able to come out on top on Sunday.”

Defensive back Travell Dixon, who had been on the suspended list since reporting to training camp with a hamstring problem that kept him from receiving medical clearance, rejoined the Redblacks on Thursday and was assigned to the practice roster.

That led to the release of American punter Andy Wilder, who averaged only 35 yards in his CFL debut last Sunday. General manager Marcel Desjardins said options for the next game included Milo, Canadian Ronnie Pfeffer, who was signed Monday, and backup quarterback Thomas DeMarco, who handled punting two weeks ago at Calgary.

“More importantly, when you play at home, you have to win at home,” Burris said. “We didn’t get our last two on the road, but, if there’s any place that we can continue to score and keep comfortably, that’s the confines of our own home.”

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